Aspiring Innkeepers

So you want to be an Innkeeper!! The Illinois Bed & Breakfast Association (IBBA) provides the perfect venue to explore the many aspects of owning and running a bed and breakfast (B&B). You can become an Apprentice Illinois Bed & Breakfast Association Member for a very reasonable fee ($100) and this allows access to other members and elected officers as well as attendance at regional meetings (free except for the cost of lunch) and the annual IBBA Conference (normally in the $150-175 range for a two day meeting, meals included).

The annual IBBA Conference brings in a series of excellent speakers who cover topics such website development, internet marketing, the use of social media, bed and breakfast insurance, credit card processing and a host of other topics related to running a bed and breakfast. There is a large group of vendors offering products from linens to baking needs, coffee mugs to insurance, and spices to soaps. A two-hour seminar at the conference is devoted to the ins (or should we say Inns!) and outs of running a B&B.

Topics covered in past years have included:

• Can You Make Money?
• What About Your Property?
• The Basics of Getting Started
• Amenities and Your Rooms
• Marketing: Where and How Much?
• The Breakfast Part of B&B!
• Decorating Your B&B
• Repeats and Referrals
• Maintenance
• Housekeeping
• Impact On Your Life

Visit our Conference page to learn more about this year’s conference, speakers, and vendors!

Maybe the best part of becoming an Apprentice Member is having the chance to meet and talk informally with the experienced innkeepers who have been in the business for years.

Innkeeping is a life style as much as a business and can be fun and financially rewarding. We will be happy to help. Call Sandy Timmermann, the IBBA Administrator, at 618-267-0156 for more information.